Painting My Love
by MyMidnightWish
Summary: (Using a character from In Your Arms Tonight) ONESHOT. Tsubaki is going to a festival with her friend Mari on her Last night in Japan. At the festival she meets a vaguely familiar man. Who is he and why does he seem so familiar? KIYOTO MAKIMURA x OC


It was a warm sunny day when I went to the Valentine's day festival with my high school friend, Mari. Mari and I had not seen each other since the college entrance ceremony and had decided to meet up again after we graduated. I now lived in America while Mari had stayed in Japan. It had been three years since I have been to Japan.

We both wore fine fabric kimonos to the event, each with a floral design. Her kimono was blush pink with red flowering while mine was sky blue with navy flowering. Mari was at average height with long brown black hair. Today she wore it up in a delicate bun with a few loose strands dangling in the air. Mari wore subtle make up and made her pretty round eyes even more distinctive than before. I, on the other hand, did not put on any make up. I was clumsy with my hands in that sort of thing and kept my hair down. I pinned my bangs back with a flower clip that Mari had leant me. Between the two of us, she had always been the prettier girl and all the boys had chased after her in high school.

Things have not changed. They still stare at her with the same fascination as they did in highs school. I wasn't bitter about it, this trip was our five year reunion. The two of us were fresh out of college. It was just before sunset and the crowds were just beginning to come in. It was nostalgic to see so many japanese people in one place. As Mari introduced me to my old classmates, I realized how most of them had gotten engaged or were already married. Mari was in a serious relationship with a college boy she met in her literature course. "I'm going to go explore a bit."

"Alright!" Mari replied and immediately pulled out her phone. "Mind if I call a friend?"

"Not at all." I smiled and pointed to a pancake stand.

Mari only nodded and proceeded to call her friend. I weaved through the crowd and made my way to the pancake stand. It had been a very long time since my last stuffed pancake. I ordered two of the last pancake flavors that I loved so much. When I received my pancakes and turned to walk back to Mari, I found myself toe to toe with a tall young man around my own age. He had charcoal black hair with slight side-cowlicks. His bangs barely brushed his eyelids, but went no further. The hair in the back falls just above the nape of his slender neck. His skin was light peach and had narrow seductive brown eyes. Somehow, those brown eyes looked familiar.

"Miss? Are you here alone?" His voice was cultured and pleasant.

"What if I was?" I inquired.

"I would be pleasantly surprise." His eyes skimmed my figure and I gazed back at him awkwardly. "You're quite beautiful."

"Don't tease me like that." I tried to keep my blush under control. "I am nothing of the sort."

He held my chin and dipped it up so that I was looking straight at him, "I don't believe that's true, Miss. I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."

Suddenly, he pulled me away from the stand and towards the end of the road where there was barely any people. It was the place where the fireworks of the festivals could not be seen. No one would come here. What was he going to do to me?

"Uhm.." I didn't know what to say to this complete stranger.

"Miss, what made you think you weren't beautiful?"

"I don't know?" My lip quivered for a moment.

"You're scared I'll do something?" His eyes went wide for a second, but quickly went back to it's original state. "Maybe I will, I do like you." He touched a lock of my hair and brought it to his lips. "Do you want me to do something to you, Miss?"

I smacked away his hand and stepped away from him, "Pervert! Of course I don't want you to do anything. Good bye." I walked around him and started to go back to the festival. The stranger pulled me back and I found our lips locked in a short kiss. When I realized what was happening I pushed the stranger away from me. "W-What are you doing?!"

"Miss, you kissed me back." He smirked.

I immediately turned on my heel and shuffled away from the strange guy. I touched my lips and found Mari looking for me. She was with her boyfriend and had introduced me to him. Her boyfriend doubled as an artist and writer. He is two inches taller than her standing at 5"8 and had a similar hair style to the stranger who had kissed me except his hair was blonde and this boy had stunning green eyes.

"You didn't get pancakes?" Mari asked me.

"Eh?"

"You said you were going to the pancake stand, right?"

"Yes."

"But, you don't have any pancakes with you, so you didn't buy any?"

I looked at my empty hands in shock. I must have left my pancakes with that stranger!

"Kiyoto-san!" Her boyfriend, Sou, said.

"Hey!" A familiar voice greeted.

I turned around and saw none other than the stranger who had kissed me holding the pancakes I had bought. From a second look at him, he looked as if I had seen him somewhere else. I fumed and went straight to him. "Those are my pancakes!"

"Miss, you're here, too?" The stranger called "Kiyoto" grinned at me.

"You know each other?" Sou asked.

"Not really. We just met at the pancake stand." I replied with a pout.

"Now, Miss, don't be so cold. Not after you kissed me so passionately!"

"Tsubaki-chan?" Mari exclaimed.

"I DID NOT KISS YOU PASSIONATELY!" I crowed.

"But you did kiss?" Sou smirked. "Kiyoto-san, you aren't supposed to do that to strangers. Did you take her pancakes?" He went over to Kiyoto and ruffled his hair.

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders and absently fixed his hair. "So what if I did?"

"You should buy her new ones." Sou continued.

"But I don't have any more money to buy her any!" Kiyoto complained.

"Then, give me back the rest of the pancakes! There's one more." I replied, narrowing my eyes.

"Can't I just pay you back by being your escort tonight?" He smirked.

"Absolutely-"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Mari interrupted me and gave me a stern look. "I'm sure, Tsubaki-chan would love your company."

"I would _what_?" I stood in front of my friend with my mouth agape.

Mari pulled me off to the side and whispered harshly, "It's your last day in Japan and you have not had one date since graduating high school!"

"What's so bad about that?" I puffed out my cheeks.

"Don't you want to get settled down? You're already twenty-three and nearly past your prime!" Mari reasoned.

"I don't want to go on a date here. I mean I live in America-"

"I didn't say have a relationship with the guy! Just one night. It won't be so bad and Sou is the only guy with us. Don't you feel bad for him?"

"I guess, but he seems to be enjoying himself.."

"Tsubaki-chan, please?"

"Fine." I groaned and we both headed back to the boys.

"So?" Kiyoto asked with a hopeful look.

"I wouldn't mind you being my escort for tonight." I replied with forced politeness.

"Great! Well, Sou, should we head back to our spot?"

"Yep! You ladies ready to go?" Sou grinned at Mari and I.

"Where are we going?" Mari asked.

"To a hill. We'll have a better view of the fireworks from there. Kiyoto-san and Tsubaki-san will ride in his car and you'll ride in mine." Sou replied.

"W-What?"

"I am your escort tonight. So it's only logical that you'll ride with me." Kiyoto murmured. "Hope you don't mind, Miss."

"Of course not." We went back to the parking lot and I glared daggers at Mari as Sou and her left us alone. "You can stop calling me 'Miss'..what's your name again?"

"Makimura Kiyoto." He extended his hand out to me. "Nice to meet you."

"Taylor Tsubaki, likewise." I shook his hand and he directed me to his car. Kiyoto held out the passenger seat for me and helped me into the car. "Thank you."

"No problem. That kimono looks hard to walk in. A bit too tight around the legs maybe?"

"Just a bit." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I could help you take it off." Kiyoto added with a lustful gaze.

I punched his shoulder and turned towards the window, "Pervert."

"I'm no pervert, Miss." He grinned. "I just find you very attractive."

I blushed furiously at his comment. No man has said that to me in a very long time. I didn't know whether to be flattered or disgusted. Kiyoto was very handsome, but was probably a ladies' man. Not the kind of guy I'd ever be interested in. "Whatever."

The car started and we began to leave the festival. I watched the bright lantern lights fade away into a star filled darkness. The car ride was silent as Kiyoto drove alertly. The silence itself was very uncomfortable and I decided to make this situation a little more bearable. Right as I began to speak, Kiyoto grumbled something under his breath and took a different road than Sou did.

"Where are you turning?" I asked, watching Sou's car speed away.

"Sou is taking the long way to the hill pass. I'm taking a short cut."

"Oh.." I twiddled my thumbs in my lap and glanced at Kiyoto.

"So, how do you know Sou-kun?"

"I'm an art student and Sou-san saw one of my pieces and decided to work with me for a piece. He had my past Sensei and decided to help me work on my final project."

"Oh, I see. So you're an artist.."

"How about you, Miss?" He glanced at me for a second. "What do you do?"

"I'm a writer. I'm still trying to be published, but right now I'm just an editor."

"That sounds boring."

I puffed out of my cheeks in annoyance, "It's not. It's fun."

Kiyoto reached over to me and touched my leg, "The only literature I like is the erotic kind."

I slapped his hand away, "Pervert."

"I'm joking, Miss." He chuckled and gave me a playful smirk. "You're quite feisty. It's really cute."

"S-Shut up."

I looked around the mini cooper and found a few canvases in the back seat. A few of the smaller canvases had already been painted on. I couldn't see the content of those paintings since it was dark. Kiyoto caught me looking and merely chuckled.

"I'll show you my work when we get down."

"Alright." Suddenly the car swerved to the side of the road and all I could hear was another car honking it's horn. "What was that?!" Kiyoto struggled to regain control of the car for a moment and decided to pull over at the side of the road. He dismounted from the car and took a look at the tires. I got out as well and watched as he kicked one of the tires.

"Dammit!"

"What happened?"

"One of the tires became flat. That bastard made me swerve into glass or something on the road." Kiyoto fumed and looked around. "I think we'll have to walk from here."

"Is the place far?"

"Yeah. But I know a place near here where we'll have the same view."

"Alright, I'll help you grab your stuff then.." I frowned at the thought of being alone with this man the rest of the night. "Don't you have a spare tire?"

"I do, but I have no idea how to replace a flat tire." He rubbed the back of his head and looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry about this."

"It's fine. We can call Sou to pick us up later."

"Right." Kiyoto went to the back seat and grabbed his art supplies. He handed me two empty canvases and left the rest of his belongings in the car.

"Won't you be cold later? Shouldn't you grab a jacket?" I asked.

Kiyoto only wore a pair of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and a short kimono type shirt over his other shirt. "I'll be fine." We started to ascend the hill and walked the rest of the way in pure silence. I struggled to keep up in this cursed kimono and nearly fell over when we entered the forest path. Kiyoto groaned and turned back to me, putting down his belongings. "Are you going to use this kimono again anytime soon?"

"No." As soon as I replied, Kiyoto went to his knees and tore the skirt of kimono. He ripped it so the skirt of it stopped just before my knees. I blushed furiously once more. "Why'd you do that?"

"So you could move your legs more freely. You were obviously having trouble walking." Kiyoto picked up his things and began to walk again. "You have nice legs, Miss."

"Shut up." I grumbled and walked closely behind him.

Kiyoto chuckled and led me to the spot he told me about before. From the top clearing, you could clearly see the whole entire festival. There were clusters of people gathered at the edge of the festival waiting for the fireworks to begin. He set up his eisel and took one of the canvases from me. "Miss, you can relax now. The fireworks are going to start soon.".

"Right." The eisel was faced towards me so I couldn't see the canvas. He began to do rough sketches of the drawing in pencil before he began to paint. "What are you going to paint?"

"It's a surprise, Miss." He grinned.

The fireworks began and I marveled at each flowering light. The sky was filled with hues of red and pinks. The sky was filled with flowers, traditional fireworks, and hearts. It was absolutely beautiful. Kiyoto continued to make perverted remarks as he painted and once the show was over, I decided to take a look at his painting. "Can I look at it now?"

"You can if you kiss me." He gave me a coy look.

"B-Baka." I replied and turned back towards the smoke filled sky.

"Don't you want to see the painting, Miss?"

"I do, but I won't kiss you." Kiyoto walked over to me and hugged me from behind.

"Why not, Miss?" He whispered into my ear.

"Because I don't even know you!" I pushed my way out of his arms and glared at him. "Do you do that with all the girls?"

"No, usually the girl is the one who makes the move." He took a step closer to me. "But I always reject them."

I rolled my eyes at him and started back towards the painting. Kiyoto pulled me back into his arms. "Miss, you do know me." I was taken aback by his change of tone. It was no longer playful or flirty. Instead, it was serious and pleading.

"What are you talking about, Makimura-san."

"Kiyoto. Jeez, just call me 'Kiyoto'. Please?"

"K-kiyoto." I repeated. "What do you mean I know you?"

"You were my senpai in high school and college." Kiyoto explained. "You always helped me bring my things to class and motivated me when I didn't want to work."

"What are you talking about?"

"Senpai, you really don't remember?" His voice was filled with silence. "I even made you a painting."

A flood of memories came back as I vaguely recalled a beautiful painting of the ocean. It was vibrantly colored yet was filled with such sadness that I had cried. The image of a young boy with big glasses and shy demeanor came back. He had told me to call him "Makimura". I looked at Kiyoto and recognized a few features from his eyes to his hair style. How did he change so drastically?

"You're the boy who painted me a picture of the ocean."

"Yes." Kiyoto nodded and hugged me tightly. "You cried when you first saw it."

"It was just so lonely..."

"I was lonely because I couldn't be with you, Miss."

"What?"

"I've been in love with you since high school, MIss." He put me at arm's length and stared at me with piercing brown eyes. "I've always loved you." He walked over to his painting and showed me it's contents. Kiyoto had painted a girl watching the fireworks. As usual, the colors he used were vibrant and beautiful. The fireworks were electrifying and alive on the canvas in reds and yellows while he had toned down the colors when he painted the sky and her kimono. Her red black hair was fluttering in the wind on the canvas and her smile was distinctively clear. Kiyoto had painted her eyes with the reflection of the fireworks within them. He had painted a young beautiful japanese girl. This painting felt warm and happy; not lonely and sad like the ocean picture. It took me a moment to realize that girl was me.

"I couldn't see you off when you left for America. All I could paint was you, Miss." Kiyoto said, setting the painting down. "Sou knew about my crush on you and told me you were in town." He looked at me bashfully for the first time. "When I saw you at the pancake stand, I was more than surprised. I _wanted_ you, Miss."

I was speechless and took a step back. No one had ever wanted me like that before and I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. At that moment, I realized my back was up against a tree and Kiyoto walked up to me. He pinned my arms behind my back and kept me in place. "Do you think you could love me, Miss?"

"St-" His lips were on mine in seconds. His kiss started off sweet and tempting then grew to be rough and demanding. I tried to fight his lips, but quickly found myself melting into him. When did he learn to kiss like this? The boy I remembered was socially awkward and had no experience with girls. Kiyoto broke our heated kiss and pressed his forehead against mine, "Do you really want me to stop..Tsubaki-chan?" It was the first time he had said my name and for some reason I felt a flood of warmth in my chest. I fought against his hold and wrapped my arms around his neck. Bringing my lips up to his. I gave him my answer. At that moment I didn't want anything else other than to feel the love he had for me. Kiyoto happily complied to my silent request and devoured me with his lips. Suddenly my phone rang and Kiyoto growled in disapproval.

"Hello?"

"So, how are things with Makimura-kun?" Mari asked happily.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" I grumbled into the phone. Kiyoto playfully kissed my neck as I talked, making me whimper.

"Maybe. I told you it wasn't so bad." WIth that she hung up.

The next day Kiyoto, Sou, and Mari escorted me to the airport. Mari and Sou had said good bye first and left Kiyoto and I to be alone. I stood awkwardly in front of Kiyoto unsure of what to say to him. He had driven me home and kissed me good night. There was nothing more on the subject.

"So I guess this is good bye..?" I gulped. "K-Kiyoto-kun?"

Kiyoto smirked at me and pulled me in for a hug, "That's the first time you've said my name without me asking you to."

"So?!"

"I love it when you say my name." He kissed my forehead and they were doing final call for my flight.

"Good-"

"What do you mean good bye?"

"Eh?"

"I'm coming with you." Kiyoto smiled at me from ear to ear.

"W-What?"

Sou came back with a duffel bag that belonged to Kiyoto. "Everything is all set. Sensei said good luck in America."

"Why are you going to America?" I asked astonished.

"I finally found you. I'm not letting you go ever again." Kiyoto kissed me once more. "I love you, Baka. Why would I let you get away?"

How could he always have the ability to make me speechless?

"Do you love me?"

I stared at Kiyoto for a moment and saw the glasses boy in him. I saw the boy I had suddenly fallen in love with.

"I do." I laughed and hugged him back tightly. "I love you, Kiyoto!"


End file.
